Rigor Samsa
by conclusio
Summary: Lucas pulls the seventh needle and passes his heart onto the dark dragon. Literally. Merged with the dark dragon, they rebuild the world as it's supposed to be, but they can never be part of it. Claus cannot accept his brothers fate, and much like in another life, he decides to take action. Seven needles will free his brother.


_Hello friends!_

 _My very first entry into the Mother fandom and my first multi chapter fic as well. I have written most of it out more or less, so I hope updates will be smooth and steady._

 _Things will be explained throughout the story, I hope it's not too confusiong now /sweats_

 _English is not my first language so forgive me the occasional mistake, please and thank you!_

 _The first chapter is quite short, but I plan on having longer chapters from now on. Enjoy and thanks for reading!_

* * *

When Claus opens his eyes, he stares into the slit pupils of a dragon's eye.

It's a greenish blue, like the sea behind his house on sunny days, and he can't help but think of far away shores and sand between his toes.

He feels like falling for a second before ground appears underneath his feet, and the fog around him disappears with a dragon's breath to reveal a sunflower field awfully familiar to the one he used to visit with his mother and his twin long ago.

This, he thinks, must be death.

He remembers the pain, the iron in his mouth, the agony in his head, but he also remembers release. He's where mom is, now. This is death.

„This is life", a voice, distorted, but somehow soft corrected him. „That's where mom is now."

He turns his gaze away from the yellow sunflower field to look behind himself and he's greeted by dragon eyes again, but this time, they're framed by a soft, familiar face and wild, blond hair.

Lucas, to Claus, hasn't changed much. Sure, he's taller now. A bit of his childhood and innocence has melted away from his body as well, but Claus isn't one to talk, after all. In a way, he's relieved his twin changed the same way he did, maybe not quite as much but -

The dragon eyes, he finds, are in fact his brother's, and they are sharp like knives. Claus presses his lips together.

„I'm sorry", Lucas says, „This must be confusing." His twin looks sheepish for a moment, scratching the back of his head like he used to when they were younger and he worried about stupid things like mom finding the frogs they caught and hid in the closet ages ago. It's something so very much like him, but still, it contrasts with his eyes.

Claus reaches for his brother and Lucas lets him. The skin underneath his fingers feels like it used to, and Lucas doesn't shy away. He stands firmly on the ground beneath him, and somehow, to Claus, he feels like an anchor. He's missed this, the feeling of being whole and grounded, and for a moment, Claus can forget his brother's eyes and the iron in his mouth or how it felt to be completely made out of metal, so very heavy and cold.

Instead of the emotionless void in his heart, he finds joy fighting it's way through his rusted vains.  
„It's you", Claus breathes, „I thought… When I closed my eyes, I thought-„

„It's fine. Everything is fine. Don't think about it anymore, alright?" Lucas cracks a small smile, and Claus can't help but smile, too, and it finally reaches the heart he gained back merely minutes ago. It's his brother, he's here, and finally, Claus can start believing that there is a good ending to this story. Maybe that's the shred left from his own childhood, his outgoing, brave self, someone who believed it would be fine no matter what, the boy who had always wanted to face the future head on. Now, he's different. A weird mix maybe, between the him that watched stars with his brother and pulled on his mom's dress when she was too slow making dinner, the him that helped his father take care of the sheep and bump heads with the lambs and the other him - the masked man.

Suddenly, Claus's breath hitches. Lucas grabs his hand, cool fingers wrapping around his.

„It's fine.", he repeats, firmly.

„I did… I hurt… I was hasty, wasn't I? I was hasty, and stupid. I hurt you, I hurt father, everyone - and still, mom is-„

„…Mom is fine. Everything is the way it's supposed to be. It will be as if nothing ever happened, I promise. I made sure of it." Lucas sounds firm, something Claus isn't used to, but it calms him, even if just a little bit. His brother is strong now, he reminds himself, someone who grew with the pain and the despair he had endured, and that makes Claus proud.

A breath of hope creeps up within him.  
„…She's fine?", he asks, „Is she… Is she coming home with us?"

„She's home already", Lucas says, and the dragon eyes soften, „Mom and dad are waiting for you, actually. But I asked to have some time with you as well. I'm selfish, after all."  
Lucas laughs softly, but somehow, it doesn't sound happy. Claus has a weird feeling in his stomach, and he doesn't like it.

„We'll have lots of time together, you don't have to ask for it. We'll go home and see mom, and dad, and Boney- You said it's fine."  
Claus grasps Lucas's hand more firmly, the hope and happiness mixing with fear. Lucas sounds weird, like he won't be there to see it, like Claus has to go on alone.

„It's fine. But I… I won't be able to come home with you. I want to, I really do, but that's not how it's supposed to be. My place is somewhere else."

That feels like a punch in the gut, honestly, and it's just as confusing. Claus can't - doesn't want to - understand.  
„But… You said… Are you lying to me?"  
Claus finds the old habit of his masked self still sticking to him. Not finishing sentences, giving broken orders, asking uncompleted questions, not used to many words.

„No!", Lucas sounds strained. With his free hand, he grasps Claus's shoulder, a pained look in his eyes. „I'd never! I just… I passed my heart to the Dark Dragon."

His twin sounds timid, suddenly, like he did something he wasn't supposed to - but Claus remembers. The needles. Seven needles. The dragon.

„I passed my heart to the Dark Dragon", Lucas repeats, quietly now, „We are one being now. We rebuilt the world the way it's supposed to be, before… Before everything. That was my wish. But the Dark Dragon - I can't live within the same world as the humans do, I can only dream."  
„…What's that supposed to mean?", Claus demands, voice rough like the commanders used to be, but he notices to late. „Of course you can live here, you have a place at home, with mom, dad, Boney, with me-„

„I can't. The Dark Dragon rises when the world needs them to. But they can only rebuild or destroy. They go back to sleep after the world resets, pinned underneath the world by seven needles. I have passed my heart to the Dark Dragon, and that's why I will go back to sleep along with it."

Lucas looks down onto their entwined hands, and he looks weirdly peaceful.

„I have known for a while. I had enough time to accept it, and I'm fine. As long as the people I love are happy, so am I. I couldn't erase my existence from this world completely, so you will remember me when this is over. I tried to make you forget, but I guess even the Dragon is not that strong."  
Lucas laughs weakly, again. „But you're strong. All of you. You'll find a way."

It's so weird and unsettling, hearing him speak. Claus remembers earlier, dusty conversations with his twin, when he used to be so unsure and shy. When he sought for protection behind Claus's back, or held his hand when he got scared, or when he cuddled up to him when storms raged at night. This is his little brother, his twin, and Claus is supposed to protect him, but he failed.

When he decided to take his father's hunting knife and go after the mecha drago what feels like hundreds of years ago, he failed. He let himself get hurt, he let Lucas get hurt. He sacrificed his brother to the Dark Dragon without knowing it.

Suddenly, Claus feels sick.

„Don't blame yourself. It'll be fine, I promise." Lucas straightens his back, takes a deep breath and looks at Claus directly, his strange sea-green dragon eyes sharp again. „I promise."

There is a small moment of silence, only the wind dares to rustle through the sunflower field like a quiet reminder.

„…What will I tell mom?", Claus whispers, unable to voice the pain he feels. He wants to scream, to hug his brother, to drag him back home, but he can't. Lucas is wrong. He's weak.

Lucas smiles softly. Always smiles, smiles, smiles. Claus assumes he's used up all of his tears in these last three years, so all that he has left are smiles.

„She knows. I think she knew even longer than me. Still, she needs you. Dad needs you too. As a family, you can overcome anything."

Lucas loosens his grip on his hand, and the hand on Claus's shoulder slides off his body. His twin takes a step forward, embracing him. Claus clings to his anchor.

„I'm sorry", Lucas mumbles into his shoulder, like he'll fall asleep any moment. „Even now, I can't give you a perfect happy ending, only a new beginning. Take care of mom, dad and Boney."

Claus has a lot he wants to say, but only a weak „Don't go" makes it out of his mouth.

Lucas breathes in, then out, and Claus can feel the warmth of his breath on his skin.

„Goodnight." Lucas closes his eyes, and as his arms lose their grip on Claus, the ground underneath them disappears and leaves black nothingness in it's place, making them fall. Lucas falls backwards, and Claus cannot reach him before he disappears like a stone in deep water.

Claus wakes up in his house, in his old bed, but the pillow and blanket next to him are empty and cold.


End file.
